1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hoisting apparatus for ships, comprising a side loader, freight or passenger elevator. The cage of the hoisting apparatus moves along a path arranged on a ship broadside. The path is formed in an elevator shaft, is at least partially curved and provided with one or more guide rails on which the side loader cage can travel. The hoisting apparatus further comprises at least a hoisting machine, hoisting ropes, elements moving along the guide rails and a lifting platform.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Side loaders, as the name suggests, are placed on a ship near its side and used to move loads into or out of the ship. The loads are generally transferred to and from the side loader by means of fork-lift trucks. The cargo space usually comprises several floors, each provided with its own fork-lift truck. Similarly, fork-lift trucks are used outside the ship to transport the loads on the shore. The side loader cage currently used move along a straight path. They may move along a vertical or an oblique path, but the path is substantially straight, i.e. no change of direction of the side loader travel occurs.
Vertical side loaders are generally used in ships whose broadsides are essentially vertical. However, refrigerating cargo ships become more and more common since in order to reduce the water resistance and thus to increase the speed, the ship's sides are designed at least partially curved. More specifically, the broadside of a ship is substantially straight in its upper part but bends inwards around the middle of the side. These types of ships are usually provided with a side loader cage running along an oblique path as mentioned above. However, since the path is still straight, this solution is not optimal in the utilization of space. Thus, there is a need to develop a side loader having a cage which moves along a path that follows the shape of the broadside of the ship. However, a problem associated with such a side loader is the need to ensure that the lifting platform remains oriented in a direction parallel to the ship deck during travel, which in practice means keeping it horizontal.